9 Tips On Publishing Your Book For Beginners
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Chances are, if you’re a regular Wallflower reader, you’re a lover of words, stories, and books. I’m also willing to bet that a good amount of you have dreamed of writing a book yourselves, with your unique thoughts printed on every page, with your name across the cover.
But (and this will hardly come as a surprise to anyone) getting a book published isn’t easy. It’s a long, arduous process that often involves getting other people to believe in you, take a chance on you, pay attention to you. So how’s a girl with a manuscript supposed to break in?
I recently was fortunate enough to sign a two-book deal for my fiction romance series, Avila Falls. The first book, my debut novel, is set to be released early 2026. And while my journey into the publishing world may not look like someone else’s, and I’m still incredibly new to this business, it was requested that I outline some pointers for those looking to forge ahead with their own manuscripts. So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned so far, both from my own experience and by watching others’ journeys closely.
There are many other writers who have many more years of experience in this world and will have a lot to say on this subject, but here are a few beginners’ tips on getting your book published.
01 | Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
Too often, aspiring authors will focus their energy on coming up with an idea that’s never been done before. Allow me to set you free from that — everything has been done before, in some form or another.
Are there more unique book ideas and less unique book ideas? Absolutely. But how many devotionals for young women looking to deepen their spiritual life are out there? How many romance novels have used the enemies to lovers trope? How many books have been written about the beauty in the everyday? How many mysteries have centered around a hardened detective and their young, plucky partner? The answer is many, because readers want to read them.
Where your job as a writer comes in is to have something unique to say within these often well trodden subjects and genres, not to invent your own subject or genre. So write that enemies to lovers story, like Jane Austen did in Pride and Prejudice; write that devotional that’s been brewing in your heart — just put your own distinct spin on it.
02 | Come up with an idea you’re excited about.
More important than having the most unique plot idea or covering the most unique subject matter, whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s important that you care about what you’re writing — that its message is one that you deeply believe in and think the world needs to hear.
If you aren’t passionate about what you’re writing, the readers won’t be either. Your investment in your own book and/or story will come across on the page. Choose your subject, genre, and message carefully.
03 | Get familiar with structure.
There’s a reason you’ve loved certain novels and been touched by particular memoirs and been motivated by specific self-help books. Writing is an art, but it’s also a science. Being that I wrote a novel, I’ll speak about structure as it pertains to fiction.
If you’re writing a story, it’s crucial that you familiarize yourself with the three act story structure. Within each act, there are specific beats — such as the inciting incident, the midpoint pinch, or the all is lost moment. This structure, present in the vast majority of beloved novels and films, is the key to crafting a satisfying story that keeps readers engaged.
While not every story follows it perfectly, it’s a blueprint for many of the best stories, and it’s a wonderful base to jump off of when brainstorming plot ideas.
04 | Find a mentor.
Having a natural knack for writing doesn’t mean you won’t benefit from insight and guidance from more experienced authors. It’s wise to find a mentor who’s walked the same path you’re attempting to walk right now. Invite them to share their publishing stories with you, what they learned along the way that they wished someone else had told them.
One author whose advice has been especially informative, inspiring, and helpful to me is Abbie Emmons. For any fiction writers reading this, I suggest you check her YouTube videos out. She’s got an in-depth video for just about any question you have.
05 | Find beta readers.
At some point, you’ll get too close to your work to be objective. This is where beta readers come in — people who will read your manuscript and offer honest feedback. For new writers, this is a scary process, but it’s also a necessary one.
Find someone whose judgement you trust — it could be a significant other, family member, close friend, or colleague — and ask for their thoughts on the plot, characters, dialogue, themes, or anything else you’re looking for insight on. Be ready to hear them out; it’s possible that some feedback can be disregarded, but it will be imperative to your writing process that you thoughtfully consider their ideas.
06 | Edit, edit, edit.
No matter how wonderfully gifted and naturally talented you might be, there’s a good chance you won’t get everything right on the first try. After getting feedback from your beta reader(s), dive back into your project with your edits.
It’s possible that you’ll have to “kill your darlings” through this process (I personally have a Google doc full of discarded writing that I loved too much to delete forever, but realized didn’t serve the story I’d written). Or, you might find it appropriate to more fully explore a theme that you didn’t spend enough time on in the first draft.
Editing can be an exhausting process, but you’ll come out on the other end with a much more refined manuscript.
07 | Form connections with other aspiring authors.
The introverts aren’t going to like this one, but as is the case with any industry you’re looking to get involved in, it’s important to have connections. And lucky for us, it’s easier than it’s ever been to form these connections, with social media right at our fingertips.
Why is it important? First, because it’s plain old nice to know other people who have gone through, or are currently going through, what you are right now. They might have wisdom to offer, or provide you with a place to commiserate. Creative pursuits like writing can often feel lonely; you write a book on your own, ultimately. Finding fellow writers on social media will help ease some of that loneliness.
Second, because it will be beneficial in your conversations with publishers if you know authors in the industry. Having a few author friends that would show support for your work come launch time will give you a better chance of striking a deal with a publisher.
08 | Write query letters to literary agents.
Now comes the business side of things: reaching out to literary agents in the hopes of finding one who will represent you and help take your book out to publishers. It’s a huge bonus to have an agent on your team, but it can also be difficult to find one who will take you on — there are far fewer spaces on a roster than there are aspiring authors. Still, it’s worth trying, as an agent will possess the contacts and know-how when it comes to getting your book in front of publishers.
To find one, you’ll need to do research on literary agents to figure out whose roster/which agency you and your project would fit well in. Then, you’ll need to craft a personalized query letter to them pitching your book and expressing interest in working with them. There’s a good chance you won’t hear back from most agents, but you may get a few bites, which is when you’ll send over your manuscript or a few sample chapters.
If you’re able to secure an agent, you’ll work with them on getting a book proposal together to send out to publishers. This is the part of the process that requires the most patience, as it can easily take a couple of months before publishers get back to your agent, and even longer to hopefully land a deal.
09 | Consider non-traditional avenues.
Getting an agent and signing a deal with an established publisher is considered the traditional publishing route. But these feats can also be difficult to achieve. No matter how well-written your book is, it’s not guaranteed.
Fear not — there’s more than one way to get your book published. More and more authors are choosing to go non-traditional routes in getting their book out into the world. They’re going indie, deciding to self-publish.
Self-publishing is definitely more work for you. It puts all of the work that would’ve been the publisher’s job onto your shoulders; formatting the book, copyediting, designing the cover, or marketing — you can hire a freelancer to do these things, or do them yourself.
But self-publishing also guarantees that your book will come out when you want it to, and you don’t have to wait on a yes from a publisher in order to make that happen. For this reason, for new writers especially, self-publishing can be empowering and get their career going.
In short…
Getting a book published isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires dedication, patience, and resilience. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write your book or try to put it out into the world.
For any aspiring writers reading this, I hope you found something of use for your journey. I encourage you to dive further in, do more research, and make your dreams of publishing a book come true.